IFAW Event to Raise Funds for Marine Mammal Rescue Efforts

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YARMOUTH PORT – A benefit will be held tonight in Yarmouth Port to support the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s marine mammal rescue and research team.

Party for a Porpoise will include wine tasting, food, live music and a silent auction.

“We’re hoping to try to fundraise for a new rescue vehicle that we can transport our dolphins in because that is something that is greatly needed for us,” said Misty Niemeyer, IFAW’s necropsy coordinator.

IFAW’s rescue and research team responded to a record 420 dolphin strandings in 2017 and were able to save ten of 18 Atlantic white-sided dolphins stranded Tuesday in Wellfleet.

The dolphins were spotted in Blackfish Creek in Wellfleet and Drummer’s Cove.

The ten that survived were released at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown.

Niemeyer said the timing of the fundraiser couldn’t be better for the fundraiser after the large stranding event Tuesday.

“This is one of the largest strandings we’ve seen here on the Cape Cod or Atlantic white-sided dolphins,” Niemeyer said.

Atlantic white-sided and common dolphins are the two species that commonly strand on Cape Cod beaches.

“Each one of those animals takes a lot of effort just to move and to get them from one place to another,” Niemeyer said.

Mass strandings take a lot of manpower and staff, along with efforts from other organizations like AmeriCorps Cape Cod and towns.

“It also takes a lot of equipment and a lot of supplies to make something like that happen,” she said.

Just a few months ago, 11 white-sided dolphins stranded in Dennis.

“Right in everyone’s backyard here on Cape Cod we are actually one of the hot spots for marine mammal strandings in the whole world and that is something a lot of folks don’t know,” Niemeyer said. “It’s something they can support locally here.”

The event is at 7 p.m. at the organizations International Operations Center.

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